If you didn’t make it to our last Rotary Club of Forest Grove meeting, here’s what you missed…

Online Meetings: Our club continues to meet virtually using the Zoom Meeting platform. Our weekly meetings will begin at our normal meeting time, Noon on Wednesday. All Rotarians are welcome and participating will count towards meeting attendance. Here are the login details…

Direct Link: https://zoom.us/j/183084884
Meeting ID: 183 084 884

To join by phone, dial 669-900-6833 or 346-248-7799 and enter the meeting ID number when prompted.

Zoom App Downloads
Zoom Cloud Meeting App For Android
Zoom Cloud Meeting App For iPhone
Download Zoom Meeting App For Desktop

Classics On Main Event: With the 2021 Concours d’Elegance unable to happen, the Concours Committee has decided a host a smaller event on Main Street on Sunday, July 18. Seventy-five former class winners and judges are currently registered for the invitation-only event. Following the event, a group of 50 cars will take an invitation-only tour that will end at the Brothers Museum in Salem.

While most volunteer positions are filled, Rotarians, families and the public are welcomed and encouraged to come downtown, enjoy the cars and spread the word about Rotary and the Concours d’Elegance. This event will be critical in letting people know that the Concours will be back again in 2022. If you come to see the cars, please wear a Rotary shirt, your Concours polo shirt or a Concours t-shirt so that we can be visible!

This year’s Classics on Main event will be the focus of our program on Wednesday. If you have additional questions, please contact Ryan Garcia at 541-890-1295 or garcia@pacificu.edu.

Due to logistical challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no Concours d’Elegance in 2021. Click Here To Read The Full Announcement.

Happy Rotary New Year!: We have arrived at a new Rotary year! We are truly grateful for the leadership of our club during the 2020-21 Rotary year, led by president Julia Kollar. They guided our club through this challenging and unusual year, kept the club pointed in a positive direction and provided avenues to continue to serve the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We also look ahead to what the future holds in the 2021-22 Rotary year as we emerge from the pandemic. There is no doubt that good things are ahead under president Bryce Baker. Here are our 2021-22 club officers:

President: Bryce Baker
President-Elect/Program Chair: Janet Peters
Vice President: Amy Tracewell
Secretary: Claudia Yakos
Treasurer: Lucas Welliver
Immediate Past President: Julia Kollar
Membership Chair: Michelle Thomas
Rotary Foundation Chair: Michael Yakos
Fund Raising Chair: Jim Crisp
Community Service Chair: Janet Peters
International Service Chair: Claudia Yakos
Satellite Club Director: Michael Yakos
Board of Directors Members: Court Carrier, Michael Doherty, Melinda Fischer, Alma Lozano, Virginia Ohler, Andrea Stewart, Howard Sullivan, Michelle Thomas, Laura Thompson-Aue

Thirsty Thursday/Satellite Club Meeting: Our July Thirsty Thursday/Satellite Club meeting will take place this Thursday, July 15, 6:30 p.m., at the home of Dean & Lori Larson, 10481 NW Shearer Hill Road, Forest Grove. The Larsons will provide hamburger sliders, drinks and paper products, other attendees are encouraged to bring a side dish to share. If you plan on attending, RSVP to Lori.

Golf Tournament: Mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 11, for the club’s annual golf tournament at Sunset Grove Golf Course. This is currently scheduled to be the club’s first in-person meeting back following the COVID pandemic and we are looking forward to seeing everyone face to face.

The day will begin with a barbeque lunch, which all members are invited to regardless of if you are playing in the tournament or not. Golf will tee off around 1 p.m. If you plan on attending for the lunch, golf or both, RSVP to Tim Schauermann.

August 18 Meeting: Mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 18, for the first of our combined evening meetings between the weekly noon club and the satellite club. Starting on August 18, and in the future, the club will have at least one evening meeting per month in an effort to bring all members of the club together. The meeting will include dinner and a program by President Bryce Baker. The time and location for the August 18 meeting will be announced soon.

Blake Timm Named Four-Way Test Award Winner: During the June 30 meeting, the Four-Way Test Committee announced that Blake Timm was this year’s recipient of the Four-Way Test Award.

The award is presented annually by the Four-Way Test Committee to a member of the club who typifies the ideals of the Four-Way Test. Recent past recipients have included Joe Post, Greg Nemchick and Mark Nakajima.

Blake has been a member of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove since 2010. He was the club’s president during the 2018-19 Rotary year and has served in the past as the club’s membership chair. This year, Blake was instrumental in keeping members informed about what is happening within the club and Rotary International through the Rototeller and maintaining the club’s website and social media channels.

Blake is also involved in the community outside of the club. He is moderator-elect of the Forest Grove United Church of Christ and was the emcee (along with fellow Rotarian Jill Verboort) of this year’s West Tuality Habitat for Humanity virtual gala.

Congratulations Blake!

Wine Fundraiser: As the club continues to look for ways to make up for the fund that we usually realize from the Concours d’Elegance, we will be having another wine sale fundraiser coming up in July. These are bottles of wine made available by the former owners A Blooming Hill Vineyard with approximately 200 cases available for sale. Bottles of red wine will be available for $12 and bottles of white available for $10. The club will realize a return of approximately $45 per case. Watch for additional details coming soon.

Club Budget: As the club looks ahead to the coming years, the board of directors has been taking a critical look at the club and foundation budgets. The board has been looking ahead to the next two years for the club, knowing that we will have missed two years of both the Steak Feed and the Concours d’Elegance. It is likely that a number of committees will have to reduce spending in order to keep withdrawals from the foundation’s rainy day fund to a minimum.

The board is looking to put together a couple of fundraisers that will help bring money again to fund our club’s outreaches, including the Scholarship Program. If you have potential ideas, please let any member of the club know.

FGHS Community Food Pantry: Our club’s support for the Forest Grove High School Food Pantry continues. Thanks to its partnership with the Oregon Food Bank, food donations are still welcome but are of less need at this time. Of need, however, are toiletries and hygiene products as well as household cleaning materials. Our club is currently contributing $1,000 per month of toiletry items, cleaning supplies and feminine hygiene products.

Distribution events for these items take place on the first Monday of each month. If you are interested in assisting with the next distribution event, please contact Michael Yakos.

The Food Pantry is open on Mondays from 2- 4 p.m. Donations are accepted on-site on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For information on the Food Pantry, please contact Brian Burke, bburke@fgsd.k12.or.us. If you wish to make a cash donation to the pantry, Click Here.

Additionally, Rotarian Gwen Hullinger has put together an Amazon wish list of items that can be purchased and donated. Click Here To View That List.

Rotary Phone Tree: Keep up the good work on the Rotary phone tree, helping to check in our members and keep them up to date on the happenings in the club. If you have questions about the phone tree, or if your information on the Phone Tree is not correct, contact Paul Waterstreet.

The goal of the phone tree is to reach out and check on every member of the club to make sure they are doing all right and to provide updates on club announcements and activities (Hint: You have a great list to draw from here). The plan is for the tree to be activated every Tuesday. The idea is that for each person to call the next one on the list. The last person on the list should call the team captain to make sure the list is complete.

Past Programs: Did you miss a meeting or want to go back and check out a program again? Most of our programs since May 2020 are archived on our club’s YouTube page. Visit https://bit.ly/fgrotaryprograms.

Around District 5100
Welcome To The 2021-22 Rotary Year! (By District 5100 Governor Jim Boyle): I am excited to serve as the District Governor for District 5100 in the Rotary Year 2021-2022.  Some clubs are convening in person now and others are planning on doing so in the near future.

We have a tremendous opportunity to continue our quest to make a positive change in our communities and the world. Let’s commit to making a difference and SERVE TO CHANGE LIVES.  Please Watch This Video sharing some new and exciting programs for the upcoming year.

Among the new programs to look forward to include “The Power Of One,” where Rotarians who sponsor new members will be entered into a drawing to win a trip to the Rotary International Convention. “My Rotary Story Slam” will allow Rotarians from around the district to share their Rotary stories. A winning story will be chosen from each region of the district for a $500 cash award.

Also new this year will be a combined Spring Training Event and District 5100 Conference, which will take place in May in Seaside.

The district will be further supporting clubs in the goal of increasing membership and bringing in new Rotarians by not charging new members for district dues.

There will be many more activities and initiatives that the district will bring forward over the course of the year to help bring in new members and engage current members to further the reach of Rotary.

Learn more about “The Power Of One” In This Video. Learn more about the “My Rotary Story Slam” In This Video.

Around Rotary International
Rotary’s Second Virtual Convention Highlights Accomplishments In Polio, Progress Toward Ending COVID-19: Thousands of people experienced friendship and fun at Rotary International’s second straight virtual convention. The event, held 12-16 June 2021, was conducted online after the convention originally planned for Taipei, Taiwan, was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 11,000 people registered for the robust program that included more than 20 guest speakers, informational and inspiring breakout sessions, the interactive House of Friendship, and a variety of engaging virtual activities and entertainment.

During the opening general session, Rotary International President Holger Knaack acknowledged that he was worried about how successful his presidency would be, since he couldn’t visit clubs and projects and provide encouragement and support due to travel restrictions. “But what seemed like a problem turned out to be an advantage,” he said. “By visiting clubs online, I could be everywhere, every day.”

Knaack talked about how rewarding it was to be able to visit clubs and districts around the world in just one day. “In a virtual environment, I could visit a dozen Rotary clubs a week and participate in their projects. It was exciting and rewarding. And I was so proud of the work you did in such difficult times,” he said.

“The pandemic continues to bring great devastation and, for far too many, a very sad ending for people important to us,” Knaack said. “We must continue to honor those who have passed and do whatever we can to bring this devastation to an end as soon as possible.”

Despite the challenges of the past year, Knaack also highlighted successes, including the historic announcement that the World Health Organization’s African region had been declared free of the wild poliovirus. He encouraged Rotary to build on that positive news by staying focused on our commitment to ending polio worldwide. Until early May of this year, he said, just two cases of wild poliovirus were reported worldwide. Wild poliovirus is still circulating in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave a video address to online attendees, crediting Rotary for continuing to focus on polio. “When COVID-19 struck, you didn’t abandon your vision of a polio-free world,” he said. “You redoubled your efforts.”

“The pandemic has highlighted that unprepared and underserved communities anywhere are a threat to health everywhere. Rotarians know this,” Tedros added. “And I want you to know that your investment in public health will inspire future generations to live up to your motto of Service Above Self.” Read More

Last Week’s Program: Bryce Baker & RI President Shekhar Mehta

Click Here To Watch The Complete Program

Our originally scheduled program on summer activities at Hagg Lake was canceled due to a conflict for the presenter. In it’s place, President Bryce Baker presented a video by Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta discussing his initiative to increase Rotary’s membership to 1.3 million members by the end of the 2021-22 Rotary year.

President Shekhar opened by talking about how Rotary’s membership has been stagnant over the last two decades. Twenty years ago, when he first became a district governor, Rotary membership was at 1.2 million. Today, as he begins his year as RI president, membership remains at 1.2 million.

As Rotarians, President Shekhar said, it is our individual responsibility to bring new members into Rotary. With more people, we can do more to be able to fulfill this year’s theme to “Serve To Change Lives.”

President Shekhar introduced his “Each One, Bring One” initiative, asking all Rotarians to share Rotary with at least one other person over the course of the year and bring them to a Rotary meeting. As we do so, President Shekhar encourages all of us to focus on diversity, bringing in more young people, females and prospective members from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds.

The engagement of current members, President Shekhar continued, is as important as bringing in new members. He encouraged club and district leaders to continue to engage members to keep them excited about Rotary and to continue passing the message on. That is critical, he said, to keep them as active, contributing members.

Critical to bringing new members into Rotary, he continued, is forming new clubs. One goal for this year is to have each district form at least two more clubs. Districts are encouraged to be creative with the types of clubs being formed, including virtual clubs, hybrid clubs, satellite clubs and caused-based clubs.

At the end of the video, President Bryce talked about some of the ways he intends for our club to work towards President Shekhar’s membership goals. The club will be re-working the composition of the Membership Committee to better fit the membership goals in our club. When we start meeting in person, which is targeted for September back at Pacific University, the club will continue to purchase the meals for prospective members.

We will continue with putting on hybrid meetings, recording meetings and programs for people who can’t attend as well as potentially bringing in programs from outside of the area virtually. Additionally, the club will be instituting a mentorship program for new and current members to help strengthen personal and professional connections within the club.

Club Calendar
All Meetings Are On Zoom Unless Noted

Wed., July 14: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Ryan Garcia, Concours “Classics On Main” Event

Thurs., July 15: Thirsty Thursday/Satellite Club Meeting,6:30 p.m.
Home of Dean & Lori Larson, 10481 NW Shearer Hill Rd., Forest Grove

Sun., July 18: Concours “Classics On Main” event in downtown Forest Grove

Wed., July 21: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Keith Horman, Forest Grove Light & Power

Wed., July 28: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Celeste Goulding, Second Home